1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a content proceeds distribution system capable of distributing proceeds obtained by selling contents provided by a content provider.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the widespread use of CD-ROM drives, a content, such as a film, musical work, computer program, database, etc., in the form of software and defined as digital data is frequently distributed through a CD-ROM medium. The CD-ROM medium can be manufactured at low costs and has a large capacity exceeding 500 MB. In addition, CD-ROM drives are decreasing in price and increasing in speed. Further, the CD-ROM is comparatively lightweight and thin for its storage capacity and, therefore, can be distributed by various methods, including being inserted into a magazine for distribution or other uses.
The content of the CD-ROM is stored as digital data; therefore the content can be illegally copied and installed easily (the term "install" herein connotes an introduction of the content into a disk of a personal computer). Accordingly, when distributing the content on the CD-ROM, illegal copying and installation must be prevented.
Accordingly, the following has been practiced to date. In distributing the content by CD-ROM, several types of trial version contents and an encrypted real content are recorded on the CD-ROM, and thus distributed. Only a user paying a using charge (which is a one-time payment) for the content is supplied with a key for decrypting the encrypted real content, permitting the user to use the real content. For the purpose of explanation, the phrase "supplying the key in exchange of the payment of the using charge for the content" is expressed as "selling the content", and the phrase "the using charge for the content" is termed a "sales price of the content".
According to the conventional content distribution system described herein above, proceeds gained by selling the content are, after subtracting a share of a content distribution system operator (hereinafter referred to as a "system operator") therefrom, paid to content providers (hereinafter simply referred to as "providers"). Distribution rates between the system operator and the providers are individually determined based on sales contracts established by the system operator and the providers, when accepting the contents. A sales distributing section in the content distribution system refers to the distribution rate of the relevant content that is registered in the database stored with the sales contracts, and then pays the provider an amount of money in proceeds, which amount is determined by the above-mentioned distribution rate.
However, third parties (such as a copyright owner, a performer having a copyright in a related work, author(s) having claims against the copyright owner, or other copyright claimants) may exist who have a right (or claim for a continuing royalty) to this content, in addition to the rights of the providers who are parties to, and whose rights are defined in accordance with the terms of, the sales contract. Generally, items indicating these relationships of right of the third parties are excluded from being explicitly defined in the sales contract. Hence, it is impossible to distribute the proceeds among the third parties having the right (right of charge for a running royalty) to the proceeds simply by referring to the sales contracts stored in a database. For this reason, in the conventional content distribution system, the provider has to distribute individually the proceeds paid from the system operator to all of the parties having rights to the content.